John O’Brien spent 38 years in An Garda Síochána at a time when the state and policing went through transformational change.
From chasing paramilitaries along the border to putting together cases against gangland crime figures he accumulated huge experience, all of which he retells in his new memoir A Question Of Honour.
The retired detective chief superintendent is also a keen student of the interface of politics and policing and offers some strong opinions on where it works and where it doesn’t.